Furry Culture,

[Garek Maxwell]

Shaviv

Also, from what I've seen and read, the furry fandom is heavily white, male, and Western European / North American in ethnic background. Why this should be, I'm not entirely sure, but it's interesting.

I've found it to be a very western phenomenon. I suspect that the only reason why is because of the access to the internet and modern conveniences the west has had the luxury of having for such a long period of time. It can be more complicated than that, but I think it just boils down to the wealth and technology access the west has had.  

[Jungle Boots]

Garek Maxwell

Shaviv

Also, from what I've seen and read, the furry fandom is heavily white, male, and Western European / North American in ethnic background. Why this should be, I'm not entirely sure, but it's interesting.

I've found it to be a very western phenomenon. I suspect that the only reason why is because of the access to the internet and modern conveniences the west has had the luxury of having for such a long period of time. It can be more complicated than that, but I think it just boils down to the wealth and technology access the west has had.

all in all... the reason is because whities have a tendency to be dorky.  

[Selene Aries]

Furries are all walks of life, scattered all over the world. rolleyes We, of course, are going to have a demographic, ever organization does. But let's not look too deeply into it, okay? Serves little to no purpose at all, such as always bringing up the negative aspects of the fandom.  

[Shaviv]

Selene Aries

Furries are all walks of life, scattered all over the world. rolleyes We, of course, are going to have a demographic, ever organization does. But let's not look too deeply into it, okay? Serves little to no purpose at all, such as always bringing up the negative aspects of the fandom.

Nothing productive comes of asking questions like "Why is it the fandom seems so heavily white, Western European and male", or "How would it be different, if these factors were different"?

I'd just like to make sure I understood correctly.  

[Selene Aries]

I fail to see exactly what would be productive about it other than for someone to spout their own theories on the matter.

Mostly I just don't like it when people get on tangents about anything they find negative about the fandom, especially when dealing with someone new that is coming in and wanting to get an understanding what we are all about.

Positive thoughts people. Try saying something actually nice rather than cynical and sarcastic.  

[[-Erik-]]

Selene Aries

I fail to see exactly what would be productive about it other than for someone to spout their own theories on the matter.

Mostly I just don't like it when people get on tangents about anything they find negative about the fandom, especially when dealing with someone new that is coming in and wanting to get an understanding what we are all about.

Positive thoughts people. Try saying something actually nice rather than cynical and sarcastic.

Some people have this HUGE addiction to drama, you know.

 

[Selene Aries]

[-Erik-]

Some people have this HUGE addiction to drama, you know.

I will cut Drama's heart out with a spoon.  

[[-Erik-]]

Beacuse a spoon is sharper than a dagger?

 

[Selene Aries]

[-Erik-]

Beacuse a spoon is sharper than a dagger?

Because it will hurt more.  

[Garek Maxwell]

Selene Aries

Furries are all walks of life, scattered all over the world. rolleyes We, of course, are going to have a demographic, ever organization does. But let's not look too deeply into it, okay? Serves little to no purpose at all, such as always bringing up the negative aspects of the fandom.

I've met a fur who's in Malaysia, so I know they're very scattered. However, I wasn't trying to be negative or anything when I said that the reason for the demographics is because the west has had the luxury of technology and wealth. I mean, would the fandom exist as it does today without the internet?

If it helps, access to the internet is becoming more widespread...even though that's a mixed bag of good and bad. Won't go into details, but it mostly revolves around anger over unequal access to resources. So there's positives and negatives. I just hope it's mostly positive for everyone. I like diversity. 3nodding  

[Daearen]

The internet helps spread new ideas. Its a gateway from one place to another without ever leaving your house.  

[Selene Aries]

Oh, nothing against what you said, Garek. We are very much an internet culture and furries tend to be more prominent in areas that are more wired. Such as the The U.S.A. and Canada, Europe and Eastern Asia, Japan, certain areas of South America, South Africa and Australia and New Zealand.  

[Jungle Boots]

dorky is in no way a negative term to me. infact it is rather endearing.

dorks know what they like.... and they obsess over it.

seems rather healthy to me... and entertaining.  

[Psycho Lee]

Selene Aries

*cocks a brow* Well... uh, "mating" doesn't really have anything to do with furries. Sex is just another one of those little things that is just part of the human experience.

Anyway, the Furry fandom is just one of many sub-group that exist within the umbrella fandom that is sci-fi fantasy. Near the end of the 1960's small groups that attended sci-fi fantasy conventions started to focus most of their attention towards certain characters from various media sources. The one thing these character had in common was that they were animal based, or animal-like. In other words they were anthropomorphic creatures, not quite animal and not quite human but sharing aspects of both, the official media term being funny animals or sometimes fantasy creatures. In very short time these little groups grew in numbers and started hosting their own meetings and conventions to celebrate anthropomorphic animals and later on in a magazine the term "furry" was coined to describe these particular fans and stuck.

I am curious to where you got all this information, and if there's places on the web that have accurate history on the fandom, or if there's people that were into the fandom way back then.

I'd also be interested in knowing why the fandom, at least in the beginning, tended to attract people who are bi or gay, and more sexually... open. I can't imagine it just started with a bunch of people 20-30 years ago that thought the foxes in Robin Hood were sexy hot, although I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.  

[Cassidy Peterson]

Psycho Lee

I'd also be interested in knowing why the fandom, at least in the beginning, tended to attract people who are bi or gay, and more sexually... open.

Self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps? People go into the furry fandom expecting such things, and because that's what they are, that's what they bring, further encouraging that idea.